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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/29618301">Sisters Still</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/autobotscoutriella/pseuds/autobotscoutriella'>autobotscoutriella</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Purimgifts: October Daye/InCryptid [1]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>October Daye Series - Seanan McGuire</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Awkward Conversations, Collection: Purimgifts Day 1, Gen, Sisters</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2021-02-21</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-02-21</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-15 17:34:20</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>975</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/29618301</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/autobotscoutriella/pseuds/autobotscoutriella</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>October and August have a lot in common, but they're not particularly good at talking about it.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>October "Toby" Daye &amp; August Torquill</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Purimgifts: October Daye/InCryptid [1]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/2190060</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>8</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>15</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Collections:</b></td><td>Purimgifts 2021</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Sisters Still</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><ul class="associations">
      <li>For <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/users/estelraca/gifts">estelraca</a>.</li>



    </ul></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>These days, I pretty much expect formal occasions to go wrong. There’s just something about combining me and official events that has catastrophic results, usually involving my family in some way. So when my half-sister sat down across from me at the tiny table that I had claimed as my territory an hour into Arden’s Yule celebration, it shouldn’t have been a surprise.</p>
<p>It still was.</p>
<p>“August,” I said, the chill audible in my voice. I wasn’t going to pick a fight in the Queen’s knowe, but that didn’t mean I had to be friendly.</p>
<p>“October.” August sounded wary. I couldn’t entirely blame her. “Or is it Toby? I will admit I don’t entirely understand <em>mortal</em> nicknames.”</p>
<p>“October will do just fine for you,” I told her coolly. I’d noticed the emphasis on the word ‘mortal’, and she had definitely put it there on purpose. “And the nickname is because <em>some</em> of us live in a place where having the name “October Daye” will get you picked on. Mom shouldn’t have been allowed to name her own kids, but here we are.”</p>
<p>“Your Fetch <em>chose</em> to call herself May Daye. Is that somehow different?” It could have been a taunt, but it almost sounded like a genuine question. Of course, I didn’t really know August well enough to tell, but judging by past conversations, it was unlikely.</p>
<p>“My <em>sister</em> – ” I emphasized the word – “has a unique sense of humor. What do you want, August?”</p>
<p>If I hadn’t known better, I might have thought August grimaced. “Not to fight, believe it or not. I just want to talk. I have some questions for you. About – our – family.”</p>
<p>“Huh.” I snorted. “And you came to <em>me</em>? I’ve still got more questions than answers, and I’m pretty sure I always will. Or am I supposed to be flattered that you <em>deigned</em> to ask me instead of someone else?”</p>
<p>“Are you always this rude to people who try to ask you things?” August’s forehead crinkled in a frown that looked disturbingly like Amandine.</p>
<p>I stared at her. “Have you…not been paying attention, literally any time you’ve met me? We’ve done nothing but fight since the moment you first saw me.”</p>
<p>I couldn’t be sure, but I thought a smile flicked across her face. “You have a point. But you’re honest, and I think there’s things you can tell me that no one else will. It’s not that I don’t trust <em>anyone</em>, but…” She trailed off and cleared her throat.</p>
<p>“…you don’t trust most of our family,” I finished. “You know, that might be the most sensible thing I’ve heard you say.”</p>
<p>It was odd, too. I would have expected her to trust Simon, at least – but then, I knew basically nothing about their relationship.</p>
<p>August actually did wince at that. For a moment, she looked like <em>my sister</em>, and not just <em>my mother’s daughter –</em> it was a very normal, almost human expression.</p>
<p>Almost.</p>
<p>“It’s terrible, isn’t it?” she said.</p>
<p>“Our family? Yeah, we’re a unique form of fucked-up. Which is saying a lot for Faerie.” I sighed and sat back, reaching for the glass of wine that was doing absolutely nothing to get me drunk.</p>
<p>“I meant the fact that the first thing we agree on is that our family can’t be trusted, but…I can’t disagree with your interpretation.” August shifted uncomfortably in place. “Look, I won’t stay long. I only wanted to talk to you about…our mother.”</p>
<p>“The mother we both disowned in the divorce?” I asked dryly. I wasn’t entirely sure about all of the legal implications of that, beyond inheritance, but I was pretty sure it meant that the phrase “our mother” was now fraught.</p>
<p>“Do we have another one in common?” August sighed and leaned forward. She was too well-mannered to put her elbows on the table, but I could tell that she at least <em>thought</em> about it. “October…I know our mother was not a good parent, and was worse to you than she ever was to me.”</p>
<p>I started to say <em>no shit, Sherlock</em>, but there was something vulnerable in August’s tone and expression that I didn’t want to crush. Admitting that Mom sucked in general was one thing, and after how the divorce went, she had that part down. Admitting that we had had wildly different experiences was another thing entirely.</p>
<p>“Look, August, I appreciate you admitting that, but maybe this isn’t the best place to have this conversation.” I glanced around at the crowd, which – fortunately – seemed to have other things on their mind than us. “I don’t think anywhere public is a good place to have this conversation.”</p>
<p>August sighed. “I know. But I didn’t think you would be happy if I showed up at your house, or anywhere else, unexpected.”</p>
<p>She had a point. I smiled, ruefully, and looked around to see if I could get myself more wine without getting up. “Yeah, okay. But whenever I get into family backstory, stuff gets messy, and I’d hate to do that to Arden. So if you want to talk, fine, we’ll talk. But not here and not right now.”</p>
<p>August stared at me, eyes narrowed. I suspected she wasn’t used to being told <em>not right now</em>, let alone <em>no.</em></p>
<p>But all she said was, “All right. I will contact you another time.”</p>
<p>I thought about suggesting a phone call, or email, or anything other than just showing up out of the blue, but she wasn’t likely to do any of those even if I did point them out. Instead, I stood up and said, “I’m going to go get another drink.”</p>
<p>August nodded, but did not stand up. As I walked away, she said, “Take care, October.”</p>
<p>After a moment, I said, “Take care, August.”</p>
<p>The next time I glanced back at the table, she was gone.</p>
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